U.S. Government Accountability Office

The U.S. Government Accountability Office, frequently called and better known by its acronym GAO, was previously named the General Accounting Office.

The GAO is the nonpartisan, investigative arm of the U.S. Congress. It was founded in 1921, and its mission is "to support the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and ensure the accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people." The GAO conducts audits and authors reports, at the request of members of Congress, to meet legislative and Congressional committee requirements, or under the authority of its head, the Comptroller General. [1]